“Sometimes the most urgent thing you can possibly do is take a complete rest.” -Ashleigh Brilliant
This post was inspired due to my recent family reunion this past weekend. Standup paddleboarding. Family. Sun. Lake. Boating. Two days without working on the computer and I feel recharged, refreshed, happy and joyful. Not to mention things are going to get rather busy here in my neck of the woods pretty soon – on which I’ll update everyone shortly.
The human body and mind is only able to take so much.
That’s why weekends were created.
The problem for most self-employed individuals and bloggers is that weekends are non-existent. For most the work continues right on through in a long, continuous cycle.
That’s why it’s important to take breaks.
- Throughout the day when you’re feeling weary – take a break.
- Feeling sad? Take a break.
- Take a break hourly to get yourself a glass of water.
- After a long project, taking months in the process, go on a vacation.
- Taking a break doesn’t have to mean sleeping.
- Don’t push yourself to your breaking point too often. It taxes your body.
- Enjoy the distractions during your work day and turn them into something positive.
- Breathe deeply.
- Don’t bring your meals to your desk. Eat away from your office.
- Sunrises and sunsets are often perfect places to find inspiration. Use them.
- When you’re feeling frustrated and angry – take a break.
The short and long term benefits of taking breaks are many. Work productivity will increase, the percentage of failure will decrease, creativity will be ignited – and more.
Now it’s your turn to share your thoughts with others.
When and how do you take breaks? Hourly, daily, weekly, monthly and yearly. What do you believe are the benefits to taking breaks? Why should you take breaks?
Man on bench photo by mescon
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"You’re such a smart boy!" were his first accolades heard. So, it’s no wonder that this phrase became the title of his business, Smart Boy Designs.
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{ 64 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey Christian!
I absolutely agree. Breaks are important. One needs to remember to unplug oneself from daily responsibilities from time to time.
I recently went on a cruise with the whole family. No blogging, no writing, just gourmet food, good wine and good company – just what I needed.
It’s reboots the mind, because the last past months has been all about work, work and work. Now that I’ve gotten back, I can’t wait to jump into it all again. My mind is refreshed and is full of bright ideas.
Twitter: smartboydesigns
July 25, 2011 at 10:52 am
Thank you for sharing that personal experience and how taking a nice long break has helped you. Where did you go on your cruise?
You must get your mind out of the everyday day work load if you want to be consistence. This keeps you fresh and ready to go.
“Black Seo Guy “Signing Off”
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July 25, 2011 at 10:56 am
Seems like our minds are like racehorses. You’ve got to keep them fresh, else they’ll slow way down!
I’ve recently discovered Pomodoros – which is a time-management technique. One of the most important things in it is that you take regular breaks – it’s hard at first to force yourself to stop mid sentence or mid whatever you are doing.
The best thing about breaks is that you always think of something that will save you time when you are back into your focus.
Google pomodoro time management for info – there’s a great free report available. I’ve managed to compress my working day to about 4 hours as a result of better focus, discipline and breaks.
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July 25, 2011 at 10:58 am
Thank you for sharing Dan. I’m going to check out Pomodoros. It sounds rather interesting, and might even be a little bit of what I do already; so probably shouldn’t be too difficult to integrate into my day.
Great to hear about your short work days. That’s incredible! Leaving more room for the fun! What do you enjoy doing with the spare time?
I’ve actually been thinking about this a lot lately. Taking breaks is so important, you come back with so much more energy and productivity. It’s funny how most people think they don’t have time for real breaks… but in reality they don’t have time NOT to take them.
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July 25, 2011 at 10:59 am
Love that thought Andrew. Nobody can afford to not take breaks. We just need them – whether we believe it or not!
I love taking breaks. At work I will go on short walks just to rejuvenate and get some vitamin D. I think it’s important. I try and take them before I even think about my boiling point.
The laws are in place for everyone to take breaks for a reason. I say run with it….
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July 25, 2011 at 12:57 pm
That’s a great way to go about your break taking Meg. Before you’ve reached your boiling point. Maybe then you wouldn’t even have to take as a long of a break, because there isn’t as much to rejuvenate. Love that thought – and thanks for stopping by.
Other then going on walks, what else do you do for break time?
I am guilty in this one. I often work myself to exhaustion, even if I am not being productive my mind is always telling me to work some more or that I have something to do.
I do admit, once in a while, feels nice to just chill.
Twitter: smartboydesigns
July 25, 2011 at 12:58 pm
I’m often guilty of the same, but I’ve been able to work on getting better at taking the breaks. It just seems to make everything so much more fun!
Agree! I’ve honed my skill at being able to recognize the exact moment when my brain checks out – there’s no use in continuing to work when my brain isn’t on! For me it usually happens after about an hour and a half of work. I’ll be working away smoothly and then suddenly I’ll find myself staring at the screen thinking, “Duh… what?” That’s when I know it’s break time.
Twitter: smartboydesigns
July 25, 2011 at 12:59 pm
Oh boy, that happens to all of us doesn’t it? You’re reading an email from a client about work that needs doing, you’re responding to a Tweet, etc….and you just can’t seem to comprehend even the simplest of messages. Awful. lol
I am Mr. Break!
Haha. Actually though, breaks are so terribly important. I never thought of it for a blog post, but you are damn right about it! Writing this right now, I am on a ‘break’!
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July 25, 2011 at 1:00 pm
Glad to see you’re using blog commenting as your break time. Seems like a productive use of “breaking.”
Yeah!!!
This is a marathon and it does take a toll on us…
I have to remember this post of yours – I’m staying too much at the computer.
Can’t wait to go to a cliff jumping/climbing tour again in our neighbor country – it’s the ultimate summer fun trip for me. We did one in June and plan a new one for August 2011. BREAK!
Twitter: smartboydesigns
July 25, 2011 at 1:17 pm
Oooh, cliff jumping. That sounds exciting! I once did some cliff jumping (although smaller I’m sure) at a lake nearby and cut my foot pretty bad. Fun experience though!
Glad the reminder might help. We all need it sometimes!
Twitter: adriennesmith40
July 25, 2011 at 1:19 pm
I totally agree with you Christian although I don’t always follow through with my own advice. I do find though that when I try to play catch up on the weekends that I’m not as motivated because I’m really just kind of burnt out. But then I feel guilty because I need to do certain things so I struggle with that still.
I do try to take short breaks throughout the day. It helps that my dog needs to go outside several times a day. Instead of just letting her out in the backyard, I put her on a leash and take her out myself. Plus we walk every evening so that helps as well.
Taking more breaks during the day helps you not be so worn out and your brain can function much better. So guess I need to follow my own advice, and yours as well, and start taking those breaks a little more often. Okay so guess what. I’m going to go and take a break right now. Thanks for that my friend.
Adrienne
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July 25, 2011 at 1:36 pm
I struggle with that guilt as well Adrienne. You have so much to do, so many promises, so many emails, so much work; and you just want the time to make everyone happy. But you also want balance!
I think my Dad is probably the best example of this. He owns and operates an event management business – a very high stress, busy job. Sometimes, on the weekends, especially if it’s an important family gathering – he’ll just choose not to answer emails for two days. Obviously he watches for anything CRUCIAL but if it can go unnoticed for a day or two, he’ll let it. And people really respect him for that!
Enjoy your break today! I’d love to hear what you did with your extra little break times. I’m actually going to go take a break right now too. I’m going to play the piano!
Hi
With me I just started back with blogging and
coming up with ideas and things for blogs has
me running into the weekends. But I do have a
family so my kids are all ways coming to me needing
some thing so I get my breaks allot. Than i’ll take a coffee
break with hubby he drinks coffee and i drink tea.
At nights we usually watch a movie together or with the kids
if they are up. Last 1 we seen was pirates of the carbean with
johnny deep in it. that was a funny movie.
all so durning the day about ever half hour it is good just to get
up and away from the computer and walk around.
Enjoyed your blog and my lap top was down for a couple days
even threw i went nuts just because i’ve friends from another site
that i’ve know for 3 or 4 years now get worried when i’m not on.
but i enjoyed the time talking with my girls and horsing around with the
boys pinning them down they couldn’t get mom took 4 of them to get me down.
Have a great day
Bonnie Squires (@bonnie67)
Bonnie Squires recently posted..@bonnie67 has love enough for the whole world. #nicheamnesty
Twitter: smartboydesigns
July 25, 2011 at 3:58 pm
Pirates. Oooh, such a good movie. Love it! It sounds like you’ve got a whole bunch of fun and love going on around your home – which is fantastic! So much fun. All that creative energy and love trickles into your blog – and that’s what people feed off of!
Yes we have a hole bunch of love in our family.
I’m really proud of my kids. I need to find my mom’s
day card and post what our son put in it. He took an
spare job and brought me flowers and got a card and
made a family picture of all the kids. I cried like a baby.
I hope you do read my blog and leave a comment.
Bonnie Squires recently posted..@bonnie67 has love enough for the whole world. #nicheamnesty
Twitter: smartboydesigns
July 26, 2011 at 12:11 am
Aaah, that’s adorable. How sweet! It shows a good mother when their children show love like that. You’ve done well it sounds like!
Hey Christian! What’s going on, man! I definitely believe in the taking breaks and you know what, before this post I dont think I had put too much thought into how many breaks was taking but the reality is that I have made it a habit to take breaks only until I finish whatever it is that I am doing
One the one end it can be a good thing because I get things done. However, on the other end my brain may be getting fried and I may be over stressing myself which is definitely not good!
I usually make it a point to take a vacation and go somewhere out of state at least once per year, I wish it could be more often however I am still working to end the corporate rat race. This year, I have plans to go to Vegas in the fall so until then I think I will be busting my behind to create results BUT I’ll try to take a break here and there!
Hope all is well on your end Chris!
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July 26, 2011 at 12:19 am
Excited to hear more about your trip to Vegas Hector! You’re an inspiration in taking those breaks – so I appreciate you sharing those thoughts with all of us. It’s needed. We need more breaks!
What’s your next step in ending your corporate rat race?
Hi Christian,
This is just the post I need, I’ve been working around the clock on so many projects and a day job. That i got so exhausted and had to take over a week off(sick). Now, I feel much better and I think I will take your advice. I have the list on my dashboard and follow it diligently. Thanks for your tips.
Twitter: smartboydesigns
July 26, 2011 at 12:22 am
So sorry to hear you got sick Eddie. That’s no good at all. I sure hope you’re nice and well – and working towards a healthier method of taking breaks. Please keep us updated on your progress!
Thanks Christian. I am much better now, and have started to do my regular work. I need to make sure that I take enough breaks often so that I am not over stress myself.
You are absolutely right Christian. Now that I’m freelancing, most weekends (and evenings for that matter) are just one long period of work. I’ve been taking 10 minute breaks every hour to try and stay energized. But I’m taking my first vacation in 2 years in September, and I can’t wait.
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July 26, 2011 at 12:24 am
Where are you going, if you don’t mind me asking?
Glad to hear you’re taking those breaks Marianne. So important. Especially for those of us who freelance. We’re known to work until our fingers bleed!
Twitter: luckyoliver70
July 26, 2011 at 1:33 am
Hi Christian,
I can totally relate and I am guilty of some of these – or even all of them ?
I have for example the bad habit of taking my breakfast to my desk, very bad habit, is it not ?
Not taking breaks is a bad habit as well and it’s a fear issue. We feel that we’re good enough or that we’re not doing enough – that’s why we keep pressing and rationalize it with the fierce competition or that we need to make money.
Thanks for sharing your insights.
Take care
Oliver
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July 27, 2011 at 12:17 am
I seem to have that bad habit often too, Oliver. Sometimes I’ll bring my breakfast right to my desk – and then realize I could have spent a perfectly good morning out on the deck, letting the sun rise upon me.
Loved your thoughts Oliver. Thank you for sharing.
I work five times a week, sometimes working more than ten hours a day. I know the grand feeling of not using the computer for two days. I just feel so recharged and excited to start my work on the next day. Two days of break is enough to bring me back to the game. I am used to this routine, I am not only looking forward to have a break but when I am well rested, I am also looking forward to start working.
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July 27, 2011 at 12:18 am
That’s also a way to operate Charles, and if it works well for you – it probably wouldn’t even be good to change your habits.
Whadda ya mean taking breaks doesn’t mean sleeping? I’m not supposed to be pulling my door shut at the office and laying on the couch?
Social media can be a time suck. If you have a day job, combining the two can really eat up your day. It is very important to be purposeful with your time AND make sure you are as purposeful with your breaks. I totally agree they are absolute musts.
Mine might be on the bike, running, driving range or hitting tennis balls against the wall with my iPod on. Or, it might be taking the time to read a good book instead of blog after blog (although I enjoy both).
Good info Christian, thanks for sharing.
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July 27, 2011 at 12:20 am
Loved your thoughts here Bill. Social media sure can be a time suck. It’s endless if you let it. Those streams never seem to dry up! But I love what you do when you need to release some of that built up energy – tennis especially!
Hey, Christian! Hope all is well!
My last 9-5 job was the kind where you were expected to pound pound pound from the moment you walked through the door until the moment you clocked out.
Taking a break made you “weak”. God help you if you wanted to take lunch. For so long I bought into it, but then I finally realized that I had to start looking out for my own mental and physical well-being. If I don’t, who will?
Now even though I work from home (mostly) I utilize many of the techniques you mentioned, and it certainly doesn’t hurt to be reminded of how important it is to give yourself time to regroup and recover!
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July 27, 2011 at 12:23 am
That last 9-5 job sounds like a horror movie. Awful! The problem with that environment, as you mentioned, is that you start to get flack for taking a break, taking your lunch, etc…and people look down upon you for being that “weak” link. That’s just no way to live your life at all!
You need a proper, supportive work environment. Often, that’s going to be from home – which is why working from home is usually fantastic!
But….I don’t have any kids yet. Although I’ve got five younger siblings.
Breaks. Ah yes. The pockets of joy in the day.
I do find that I stick my head so deep into my computer that I’m at high risk of being sucked into a Tron like experience.
If you don’t plan, you don’t do. So.. even though I would like to try the Tron motorcycles, I guess I have to plan my breaks.
Always a good reminder. Thanx Christian.
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July 27, 2011 at 12:25 am
Pockets of joy in a day. I think that should be the new title of this blog post. Love that Laurinda! You’re so creative!
A Tron experience…..so funny….yes….I think we all feel like that sometimes. Like the world is slowly turning completely digital…and then….we lift our heads up and realize there’s a whole world out there too.
Twitter: LogAllot
July 26, 2011 at 12:56 pm
When I started out, I actually felt bad if I wasn’t paying attention to my blog and putting out something new. Eventually I started to see that it was making my life at home suffer and nothing comes in front of my family. You have to carve out times when you need to work and when it’s time to just be “you” and chill.
Eventually I worked my blogging life into a schedule and stuck to it even though I admit to having this urge to finish a current project.I think your “brain” needs a mental break to focus on other important areas of your life that matter.
My grandma use to tell me whatever is waiting for you, will be there when your ready to get back to it. Prioritize, schedule and make time for people in your life that matter. Everything else will work itself out.
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July 27, 2011 at 12:26 am
You sound like a very, very wise woman Sonia. And your grandmother too. What great advice! Just put it down, and let it be there for you when you return.
If only I applied that to my life more often!
Twitter: LogAllot
July 27, 2011 at 8:10 am
Thanks Christian, the older I get (40) the more thicker my skin becomes. I try to just see stuff for what it is and not let the small stuff get me down. Life it too short.
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How do I take breaks? It’s not much these days when I’m home. Though I will go and watch a movie. But when I’m out I’m itching to get home. But when I’m home I know I need to take more breaks. Sometimes my breaks are just finding funny videos on Youtube. Oh and another break should be cleaning my house!
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Hey Benny could you also clean up my place while you’re at it?? I need to be cleaning as well lol…
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July 27, 2011 at 12:31 am
Let’s make it a habit. Break time = clean time.
I wish that everyone had 15-60 minutes of break time everyday. Not everyone likes introspection but if you do, it’s incredibly important. Rather than just go through the motions, you can create a way to figure out where you want to go with your life through that downtime. If not, then at least it lets you rest your mind.
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July 27, 2011 at 12:32 am
I love to pray and meditate in the morning, and I’ll admit that it’s probably the most important part of my day. It lets me look at my life, see what I want to do for the day -and get past anything that’s holding me back. What about yourself?
So true -> “The problem for most self-employed individuals and bloggers is that weekends are non-existent”.
I had someone tell me today that I’m a workaholic. When you work for yourself, I find it hard to take breaks. ESPECIALLY when you love what you do!
Great post Christian..
Twitter: smartboydesigns
July 27, 2011 at 12:34 am
So true Dave. How are you supposed to take a break on your passion? I guess I look at Einstein. He was a great example of a man with passion – and when he needed a break, he played the violin. He just went from one passion to the next!
Can’t describe your post enough of myself. I’m working on my laptop 12-16 a day, 5-6 days a week. It gets really draining.. That’s why I make it a point to go out of town on weekends. Somebody mentioned Pomodoro, I use a small nifty program called KeepFocused to keep me on track on my work, and at the same time force myself to take breaks every now and then.
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July 27, 2011 at 12:34 am
I love going out of town for the weekends. Even if I do work, and have my laptop – it gives you a way to change things up a bit. I like that a lot.
Thanks for stopping by Stephanie. I think this is your first time here.
Great points Christian. I especially like the idea of taking a break and not eating in front of my computer. I have recently started taking weekends off for the first time in a very long time and it is very therapeutic. After working on a computer for 12-14 hours/day it is pretty easy to get burned out. Lately, I have been trying to change up my work environment a couple times per week by working outside the office. For example, I will go to a coffee shop, bookstore or even work outside on the patio (although sometimes limited to laptop battery life). Another thing that has helped is to get up extra early and work out before I even look at a computer. Doing so has helped me be more productive and I feel better about spending a lot of time in front of a computer.
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August 1, 2011 at 8:53 pm
I like the idea of taking off the weekend. I tend to move mine around a bit. I’ll work Saturday, and then take off Monday – etc…it seems to work well for me to move things around like that and stay a little “spontaneous.”
Loved your thoughts, and the great benefit it’s brought into you work and personal life. That’s fantastic. Thank you for stopping by too!
I appreciate the reminder, Christian. It seems like there isn’t enough hours in the day to finish my tasks and run my errands. How do I squeeze in those breaks? I actually do some stretches and play with my dog for a little bit in between working hours just to clear my head and get my blood circulating again. You are so right about us self-employed bloggers not recognizing break time or weekends. We get so used to working at home that we forget to step away from it, even when it’s already taking it’s toll on our mind and body. In fact, this post just gave me the urge to take a break. Maybe I should take a dip at a nearby public pool.
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August 1, 2011 at 8:55 pm
Thank you for sharing your thoughts Roro. Loved hearing about you laying with your dog. That sounds like a whole bunch of fun.
I think the laptop can harm us too, in having it with us always. Otherwise, maybe it helps? Maybe it helps to get us out of our offices, and move around to other places that might get us going in our creative lives. Lots to think about!
I agree.
For me, my life is like rollercoaster. There’s always actions and wild swings and turns. However with those comes down time, where nothing really happens. I get frustrated by that, cause I always want something to happen. Progress, progress, progress. Call me workaholic if you must. But when things hit a plateau I get quite uneasy.
Learning to just relax, and put work aside has been a huge challenge for me. It’s still something that’s a work in progress.
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August 1, 2011 at 8:58 pm
That’s so difficult for me too Jack. The plateaus. I hate it. I wonder how we might get past something like this? There are cultures who are okay, with just relaxing, passing the time, and enjoying company. I wonder what it is about our culture and psych that makes us want to progress and STRESS about it, thus, causing us to progress at a slower pace.
Twitter: TheESLChronicle
July 31, 2011 at 7:36 pm
Yeah I definitely could use a break. I have been hammering away at my new project offering computer tutorials and web design tips. My brother came by the other day and when I asked him what day it was he said Sunday. I couldn’t believe it, I had been coding for 72 hours straight but it’s almost done. I will love for you to write a guest post sometime Christian: http://www.tatapc.com. Let me know what you think! But taking your tip, tonight I getting out to see Captain America.
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August 1, 2011 at 9:01 pm
Wow, 72 hours is a whole lot! And yes, I’d love to do a guest post. I’ll put it on my “to do” list. Thank you for inviting me to participate!
All right.. I’m convinced that the work-out group thing is working for us, Christian. You, me, and Laurinda especially have been on the same wavelength lately. It’s AMAZING!
Taking breaks is HUGE. I used to be the type that would sit at my PC for several hours, forgetting all biological needs and tuning the world out, coding, drawing, writing.. Once I was in my zone, I was stuck in it… But I was much younger back then and I only ended up burning myself out and missing out on so much.
The beauty of taking breaks is that you come back to your work with a fresh perspective and revitalized energy. This is particularly helpful in the creative process because you can approach things from different angles.. Heck, I’ve scrapped entire blog entries like that (good thing, too).
Take your breaks, folks – you’ve earned them (and burning out is NOT fun, trust me)!
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August 16, 2011 at 9:45 am
I just love this first hand experience Yomar. It really gives me a nice look into what’s important, and the really great importance of taking those breaks.
I think you’re right too. It’s SO easy to not take those breaks when you’re young – but it starts to hurt you badly in the long run. You’ve got to take those breaks, and make a greater effort to experience the world around you too!
The burnout is no good at all. That’s something that can kill your blog off quick. A steady, long pursuit effort it writing is what really brings great results.
These are all all really great things to remember. Breaks are so important, not only for the success of your blog, but for your mental health. When you work in an office or setting where you have supervision, you are given consistent breaks… the same should be true when you are working for yourself.
-Karen